Disposable package



1962 s. ASHCRAFT DISPOSABLE PACKAGE Filed June 1, 1960 BYM QAZ MM INVENTOR ST EVE ASH CRAFT ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofihce M57538 Patented Oct. 9, 1962 3,057,538 DISPOSABLE PACKAGE Steve Ashcraft, Box A, Avon Park, Fla. Filed June 1, 1960, Ser. No. 33,308 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-53) This invention relates to bag-like packages, and more particularly to a disposable package for holding articles of food, such as doughnuts or the like, to facilitate the serving and eating thereof in a sanitary and convenient manner.

Although suitable for many difierent types of food, the present invention is particularly suited to use with such articles of food as doughnuts, whether of the fried cake or yeast type, and other similar confections. The invention is concerned not only with a disposable package which may be used to serve doughnuts, or the like, but also with one which may be further used to hold a doughnut, or the like, in a sanitary manner throughout the eating or consumption thereof.

Customarily, as will be appreciated, the serving and eating of doughnuts, or other similar confections, is usually a fairly messy affair, as it is very difficult to avoid spilling sugar all over. In addition, it is very difficult to serve and eat doughnuts, or the like, without actually touching them, and this touching is quite unsanitary, especially when done by one other than the person who is going to do the eating. Furthermore, it is undesirable to have to touch doughnuts, or the like, since this results in fat and sugar therefrom getting all over ones hands. It should also be noted that the serving and consumption of doughnuts, especially in restaurants, usually requires the use of such items as china, napkins, and silverware.

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide novel disposable package means for the sanitary and convenient holding of individual articles of food, such as doughnuts, or the like, to facilitate the serving and eating thereof in such a manner that the users hands will remain clean, protected from the fat and sugar thereon.

It is another object of the present invention to provide novel disposable package means for holding individual articles of food, such as doughnuts or the like, which package is adapted to replace the use of china, silverware and napkins in the serving and consumption of such foods.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel package means for holding doughnuts which may be readily manipulated to be used to pick up a single doughnut, or the like, to be served, and which may be used to hold the doughnut in a sanitary manner While it is being eaten.

Another object of the present invention concerns the provision of an extremely inexpensive and easily fabricated disposable package of one-piece construction which may be utilized to serve an article of food, such as a doughnut, or the like, and which is also so constructed that the entire article of food may be eaten while being held in a sanitary manner within the package structure.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a novel package for individual doughnuts, or the like, which may be conveniently collapsed so as to take up very little space prior to use, and which is provided with means whereby portions of the package may be easily folded back to provide a greater access to the food therein while being eaten.

These and other objects of the present invention Will become apparent from consideration of the present specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which there is shown a single embodiment of the present invention by way of example, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a one-piece blank from which the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1 may be formed;

FIGURE 3 is an inverted perspective view of the embodiment, with the base portion partially open; and

FIGURE 4 is a view illustrating the embodiment in actual use.

Generally speaking, disposable packages embodying the principles of the present invention comprise a base portion for supporting an article of food, peripheral wall portions extending upwardly from said base portion to maintain an article of food thereon, and means forming part of said wall portions defining upwardly extending opposed flaps adapted to cover opposite sides of an article of food when supported therebetween by said base portion. While the present invention is ideally suited to applications with many different types of articles of food, the embodiment illustrated herein is primarily suited for use with doughnuts and other similar round food products; however, it is not intended that the invention be necessarily so limited, as it is of broader application.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIGURE 1 a perspective view of an embodiment 10 of the present invention, comprising base portion 12 have upstanding peripheral wall portions, including opposed end walls 14 and 16, and opposed side walls 18 and 20, the major portions of which are in the form of opposed flaps, as can be seen. Formed at the upper edges of opposed walls 18 and 20 are tabs 22 and 24 respectively. As can be seen, the marginal upper edges of the peripheral wall portions are serrated, as at 26.

Since the embodiment illustrated is directed to use with doughnuts or other similarly shaped articles of food, base portion 12 is generally rectangular in shape. Also, in order to fully enclose and cover the sides of a doughnut disposed within the package, opposed side Walls 18 and 20 are formed of a shape generally similar to the outline thereof. End walls 14 and 16, however, are of a reduced height relative to side walls 18 and 20, since their primary function is simply to prevent the doughnut from rolling out of the package. In the embodiment illustrated they are of a height substantially equal to the width of the base portion 12.

In FIGURE 2 there is illustrated, in plan, a one-piece blank from which the package illustrated may be formed. As can be seen, side walls 18 and 20 are of generally arcuate shape, so as to generally conform to the outline of a doughnut, and are provided at their upper ends With tabs 22 and 24 respectively. The blank is so cut out that the vertical seam in the package, indicated at 28, is disposed adjacent the center of side wall 20. To facilitate folding the blank into the proper shape, there are provided fold lines 30, 32, 34 and 36, extending in a coextensive straight line on the blank, to define the lower edges of peripheral wall portions 14, 1'6, 18 and 20 re spectively. Vertically extending fold lines 38 are provided to define the respective lines of intersection of the four walls. The peripheral part of the seam edge of side wall 20 may be provided with a strip of suitable glue, as at 40, to facilitate permanent assembly of the package.

Thus, in assemblying the package, the first step will involve folding the blank along the fold lines 38 to form a tube-like structure, as yet having no base portion. The glued edge 40 will then be permanently secured to the corresponding edge, indicated at 42, of the other half of side Wall 20 to hold the construction together. Any suitable glue may be used.

To form the base portion 12, the lower portion of the blank will be folded inwardly, as indicated in FIGURE 3. In so folding the blank, additional fold lines will occur diagonally at the four corners of the base portion, at 44, 46, 48 and 50. To help hold the base portion together there are provided slots, or slits, in the blank at 52, 54, 56 and 58. As, can be seen in FIGURE 3, when the base portion is partially folded into position, slots 52 and 58 define a tab 60 therebetween, and slots 54 and 56 define a tab 62 therebetween. The manner in which the base portion 12 is folded is clearly illustrated in FIGURE 3, and as is apparent, a strip of glue 64 may be provided on the inner side of tab 60 so that it may be permanently secured to the other half of the base portion 12 just inwardly of tab 62.

In order that the assembled package may be folded flat in the conventional manner, there may be provided additional fold lines, as indicated in faint dashed lines in the drawings. Folding the fully assembled package along these lines serves to flatten the package in exactly the same manner as are ordinary paper bags.

In actual application, the present invention may be utilized in the following manner, wherein only doughnuts will be discussed for exemplary purposes. Wherever doughnuts are being served, whether it be from behind the counter in a restaurant, or in a home, the packages may be stored in the collapsed, flattened state in any conventional manner, whereby they may be individually available for removal in a convenient manner. When it is desired to serve a doughnut, one of the packages may be removed from the place of storage, flipped open with ones finger, and then held in the servers hand as the doughnut is picked up. For example, by holding the package with the thumb on one side flap and the remain ing fingers on the opposite side flap the doughnut may be easily gripped between the fingers without them coming into contact with the doughnut.

The doughnut thus positioned in the package may be directly served to the restaurant patron, if in a restaurant, there being no need for a plate, fork or napkin. The package may be inexpensively formed of glassine paper, relatively stilf plastic film, or any other suitable waterproof glazed or waxed paper, and will act to prevent the fat from fading off the doughnut and through the package flaps to the fingers. The hand will never come in direct contact with the doughnut because the flaps protect it on both sides. They will also protect the doughnut if it is laid on its side.

When the doughnut is to be eaten, the flaps may be folded back by hand, or by the actual eating of the doughnut, to provide access thereto. To facilitate the folding back of the flaps there may be provided tabs 22 and 24. These tabs are helpful in that they suggest that the flaps are adapted to be folded back, and in addition because they make this folding easier. Furthermore, it is easier to engage the flaps to thereby told them back because of the provision of serrations 26. Also, the serrations help eliminate the possibility of paper cuts which might otherwise result through use of the package. The package 10 is illustrated in actual application in FIGURE 4, wherein the doughnut is indicated at 66. Once the doughnut has been eaten the package may be thrown away.

As can be seen in the drawings, the side walls or flaps 18 and 20 are contoured to the shape of the outline of a doughnut. While it is advantageous that the flaps be of such an area as to cover substantially the entire side of a doughnut, it is, of course, not essential that they be of the contour illustrated. For example, a generally square configuration, with or without tabs, would also be satisfactory. The same considerations as to the shape and coverage of the flaps will pertain regardless of the size and shape of the packages used or of the type of food the package is designed to hold.

In the embodiment illustrated, the end walls 14 and 16 are of a height somewhat less than one-half of the total height of the side walls or flaps 18 and 20. This is because one of the main functions of the end walls is to prevent a doughnut disposed therebetween from rolling out of the package, as it would tend to do in the absence thereof. However, it is important that the side Walls do not extend to too great a height, for several reasons. For example, if they extended to a height substantially equal to the level of the center of the average sized doughnut there would be difiiculty encountered when inserting slightly over-sized doughnuts into the package. Thus, a given size package is adapted to receive a variety of sizes and diameters of doughnuts. This is significant since it is very easy to produce over-sizeed doughnuts, as by over-proofing the yeast raised type, or deviating from the balanced formula in the fried cake type. Because of the design of end walls 14 and 16, even these over-sized doughnuts will nest very well within the package.

Furthermore, if the side walls extended too high, it would be impossible to fold back a suflicient amount of side flaps 1S and 20 to provide access to all of the doughnut disposed within the package. In addition, their limited height promotes maximum disclosure of the doughnut, thus giving it a fresh, read-to-eat appearance, and evading the commercial packaged look.

It is contemplated that the material of which the package is formed be of sufficient stiffness or rigidity to support a doughnut disposed therein in an upright position without falling over when the package is placed on a fiat surface in this position. Of course, the provision of end walls 14 and 16 serves to reinforce the package structure to further enable it to stand upright when holding a doughnut.

Thus, there is disclosed in the above description, and in the drawings, an exemplary embodiment of my invention which fully and effectively accomplishes the objects of the invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the specific details of construction and arrangement of parts, as described, are by way of example only and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, and intend that the invention embody all such features and modifications as are within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

Container for doughnuts or the like comprising: a one piece blank of flexible sheet material including a first side wall, a first partial bottom wall extending from the bottom edge of the first side wall; opposed end walls extending from the lower side edges of said first side wall so that said first side wall extends freely upwards a substantial distance above said end walls, bottom end portions extending from said end walls and from opposed side edges of said first partial bottom wall; a second side wall extending freely upwardly a substantial distance above said end walls in generally co-extensive relationship with said first side wall, second opposed partial bottom wall extending from the bottom edge of said second wall, said partial bottom walls having slits extending from the adjacent free ends thereof defining cooperating tabs; means for securing said tabs together to provide a complete bottom wall of generally rectangular configuration and means joining together said side walls in opposed upright relationship.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,029,784 Appel June 18, 1912 1,844,066 Hughes Feb. 9, 1932 2,196,404 Tolley Apr. 9, 1940 2,281,165 Miller Apr. 28, 1942 2,311,248 Poppe Feb. 16, 1943 2,368,797 Bailar Feb. 6, 1945 3,003,207 Powers Oct. 10, 1961 

